Still Working on 12-Piece Core Wardrobe

I just completed the eighth piece of my 12-piece core wardrobe.  It is a black and white print blouse made from the Kayla Shirt Pattern from In House Patterns.  It is the same pattern I used to make the grape print shirt I made a few months ago.  I did make a few changes to the pattern.  I had to really think about the changes I made to consider how one change might affect another aspect of the pattern.

I used 100% cotton for the grape print shirt and I used a rayon blend for this one.  I knew the two fabrics would react differently¸ so I was prepared for that.  I decided I wanted this shirt to be a little less fitted and more drapey than the grape one.  I started by adding ¼ inch to each of the side seams.  That would give me another one inch in the total circumference of the top.

I made the sleeves full length instead of ending just below the elbows.  When doing so, I added ¼ inch to the front and back of the sleeve from under the arm to the bottom of the sleeve.  That accommodated the larger armscye that was created when I added ¼ inch to the side seams of the shirt. 

Then, it was necessary to make the cuffs a little smaller in circumference because the original cuff pattern was for the area just below the elbow.  That area of the arm is definitely larger than the wrist.  I used the same cuff pattern, but decreased the circumference by 3 ¼ inches.   I made some small gathers at the end of the sleeve to fit it into the cuff.

When I cut the two neckbands, one was larger than the other, even though they were both cut at once.  I believe that was a problem caused by the slightly crinkled rayon fabric.  After I ironed on the interfacing to one of the neckbands, the other band was larger.  I had some extra fabric, so I ironed on the interfacing and then cut the neckbands.  Both neckbands have the interfacing.  I think this was necessary due to the unstable fabric. 

After I finished the blouse, I finally made myself hem the gray pants that I finished several weeks ago, but just never got around to hemming them.  A picture of the pants and blouse is shown below. 

 

I have four more pieces to make for the core wardrobe.  I hope to have all pieces completed by late June or early July.  That will give me a little breathing room before my presentation to the Lansing Clippers in September.

Good luck with your sewing projects!  If you need inspiration for sewing, schedule a sewing day with a few of your friends.  That is a good way to get inspiration and ideas for new projects.

Judy

 

Jean Jacket Now Finished

I just finished making the buttonholes and sewing the buttons on the jean jacket that I wrote about in my post on April 3^rd.  It is a relief to finally have it totally done!  A picture of the jacket is shown below.

 

I learned some lessons from making that jacket.  The first lesson learned was make sure you start with the correct size.  I believe the first pattern I tried to fit was at least one size too large for me.  If I had tried a different size, it might have worked.

The second lesson was to always keep a written list of any changes you make to your muslin.  In the future I will immediately write down each change as I make it.  I do that sometimes, but failed to do it this time.  I made a lot of changes and I forgot to transfer some of them to my pattern before I cut the grape denim.  It was fortunate for me that I had enough extra fabric to recut three pieces after I discovered my errors. 

When you are making changes, it is important to think about other pieces of the pattern that may be affected by those changes.  For example, if you do a full bust adjustment (FBA), it will affect both the width and length of the front bodice piece.  If your pattern has a front facing piece, it will no longer fit onto the front bodice unless you remember to lengthen it.  If you add or subtract width to the hip area of the back as I did with the jean jacket, then the lower back facing must be adjusted as well.

I learned the hard way that it is important to think through a sewing project not only before you begin, but as you make changes to the pattern.  You should also make sure you have all your supplies before you begin just in case you need to order something you cannot get locally.

Good luck with your sewing projects. 

Judy

 

Not Exactly a Sewing Slump

For more than a month I have been going through something like a sewing slump, but not exactly.  I call a sewing slump a period of time when I just can’t get interested in sewing anything.  That is not my current problem.  I am very interested in making a few things for a core wardrobe, but recently things have not gone well.

It all started with a pattern hack of a tee top.  A friend of mine wore a tee top that really caught my attention.  It looked like a short sleeve top with a ruffle at the bottom edge of the sleeve, but it also looked like she was wearing a long sleeve shirt underneath it.  Instead, it was a knit tee top with the lower part of the sleeve and ruffle made from a woven cotton-blend fabric. 

I decided I could easily do a pattern hack to make this top.   I used my regular long sleeve tee top pattern and just change the sleeve pattern piece.  I cut the sleeve pattern at the level where a short sleeve would end.  I made the short sleeve piece and the front and back pieces from knit.  Then I made the lower sleeve from a cotton fabric.  I substituted a knit flounce for the cotton ruffle, but that didn’t work well.  Then I tried a knit ruffle and that didn’t look right either.  And worse yet, when I added the lower sleeves, it looked really awkward; almost like I had the shirt on backwards.  It was at that point that I decided to put the shirt aside for a while.  I could work on something else and come back to the tee top later.

Next, I attempted to fit a pattern for a jean jacket.  I used the pattern, By Popular Demand, from the Cutting Line Designs.  I measured the pattern and compared the measurements to my own.  Then I started making adjustments to the pattern.  I sewed a muslin from the pattern and made more adjustments.  No matter what I did, I could not get that pattern to fit me.  Finally, I gave up.

I chose another pattern, McCall’s M5191.  It was a jean jacket pattern that was out of print, but  I was able to get one from Ebay.  Once again, I started the fitting process.  After making many adjustments, I still had a group of wrinkles in the back under the armscye.  I took the advice of a friend and made an adjustment to the yoke seam at the armscye.  That helped, but there were still too many wrinkles in that one area on the back.  I knew I was too close to give up again.  I started looking through all my fitting books.  I flipped through all the information about fitting a bodice back.   I kept flipping past information on broad/narrow back adjustments.  I didn’t think that applied to me because I didn’t think I had either a broad or a narrow back.  Finally, a light bulb turned on in my head.  I had wrinkles under the armscye of that jacket because the armscye went past my back and onto my arm.  BINGO!  I needed to make a narrow back adjustment. 

I made the adjustments to the yoke and lower back.  The adjustments helped to eliminate most of the wrinkles.  The jacket isn’t perfect, but I wasn’t looking for perfection.  I was looking for a jacket that would fit me better than one off the rack.  I think this one will work.  I can always tweak the fit a little when I make another jacket with this pattern. 

The jacket is finished except for the buttons and buttonholes.  Now that JoAnn Fabrics is out of business, I can’t just get in my car and drive to Lansing to get buttons.  I know I could order buttons on-line, but I don’t want to wait for them to get here and I don’t want to buy them without seeing them.  I called Yards of Fabric in Mason and talked to Jeanean.  She carries a few buttons in her store and has eight plain 5/8” black buttons on hand.  She is holding them for me to pick up tomorrow.   The denim I used for the jacket is a grape color and is top-stitched with black jeans thread.  I am hoping these black buttons will look good on this jacket.

I don’t usually post on my blog without a picture of whatever I made.  However, I am doing that this time because it has been a while since I posted.  I will follow up this post with a picture of the jacket as soon as I get the buttons on the jacket and make the buttonholes. 

I hope you have been having more success with your sewing projects than I have had recently.  If you haven’t, don’t give up.  If you don’t try, you will never succeed.  Research whatever sewing or fitting techniques you need and keep trying.  Success will eventually follow!

Judy